Swart Katte
Squadron Motto: “Bad Luck Follows” Squadron Specialization: Air Superiority Current PMC: Showtime Flight Services ' '''Former PMCs: ' '''Flight Leader: Hendrik de Jager Missions Flown: Red Hawk '- Success' Rough Fist '- Success' ::: Crux Flight #25, as it was originally known, was created by Crux Aeronautics to operate in the hotzones of the South Pacific. Four pilots, two Australian, one British living in Australia and a Tongan, were recruited by former-pilot Hendrik de Jager. Unfortunately, changes in South African policy and severe combat losses for Crux resulted in their termination from the company before they had even truly joined, leaving the flight isolated. Not willing to wait for the situation to change again so they could rejoin the PMC, de Jager instead made the flight, known as Swart Katte Flight, fully independant, and put up their services on the open market. While an unusual mix of pilots, with only two having seen any real combat and one having only a few hours in a fighter, their flying prowess and eagerness to fight should more than make up for it. Current Members Hendrik "Playboy" de Jager - Air To Ground - Flight Commanding Officer ''Current A/C'' N/A ''kills'' ''Missions Flown'' Nathan "Bowman" Webber - Air Superiority/Electronic Warfare Current A/C Mirage IIIc Born in 1983 and raised in Sydney Australia, Webber hails from a typical Australian middle class blue collar family. Doing well in school in both sports and academics the idea and quest to become a fighter pilot leaped into his sights during a year 10 careers day, inspiring him to attempt to become the first member in his family to ever become a pilot. This quest disappointed his mother and amused his father to no end as Mrs Webber had always dreamed of her youngest becoming a world class player of her all time favourite (and impossible to top the importance of. ever.) the violin. Needless to say when he was accepted into the RAAF his first action was to “burn that f*$*ing violin”. Nathan bagged his F-18A wings in the summer of 2003 and had an excellent career with the RAAF which included a 1 year transfer to a USAF F-15C squadron for cross training. This time in the RAAF and USAF has moulded him to a savage dogfighter capable of bringing ever iota, speck and drop of manoeuvrability out his machine. This reputation of flying brilliance coupled with a stable record was a sure fire way of a long and fruitful career as a fighter jock. But this was not enough for Nathan’s ambitious personality. With the RAAF fielding the new F-18F Webber saw opportunity to further advance his career. With a number if the RAAF’s Super Hornets wired to be electronic warfare capable, Webber did “whatever it takes” to secure a place in the new F-18F squadrons and a another year spend abroad on a pilot exchange, this time with the USN in a EA-18G Growler. This new EW experience and familiarity with the newest aircraft in the RAAF’s arsenal Webbers place among the stars was all but bulletproof…. However 2012 changed everything. Nathan found himself without a plane or job after the RAAF’s budget was slashed and burned, this coupled with ‘some unfinished business about some screw up recruit’ has tarnished his chances in the major local elite operator Greywood Incorporated. This has left Webber looking everywhere and anywhere in an effort to get back in the air and back into living the life of his dreams. Webber spend most of his RAAF carrer at RAAF base Williamtown, during his stay there he enjoyed a long but friendly rivalry with RAAF base Tindal’s Patrick Dawson. This rivalry would latter pay off when the two went looking for work after the RAAF’s 2012 budget crash. Bowman has also served with fellow Swart Katte member “Bonnie” in SE Asia in a number of underfunded and unsucessful PMCs. ''kills'' 2x F-4 1x F-105 Mission Kill (Kermit/Bowman/Bonnie) Half-Kill each ''Missions Flown'' Red Hawk Rough Fist Stewart "Bonnie" Connolly - Air Superiority photo Current A/C: Saab J35J Draken Born June 5th, 1988 Raised as a military brat, Stewart spent the majority of his childhood being Carted around to various other countries on deployment such as west germany, Cyprus, Canada and italy, never having a real home until 1997 when his father moved to australia looking for work, after leaving the airforce looking to slow down. Despite this, Stewart proudly carried his scottish identiy as well as accent throughout his youth, retaining a deep patriotism and love for his homeland. As soon as he was 18 and had finished his education, he moved back to britain and enlisted in the RAF Stewart recieved the majority of his training towards piloting the Eurofighter Typhoon but also recieved limited training on the Panavia Tornado, the airframe that his father had piloted all throughout his career. Stewart was able to pass with an above average marking among the rest of his unit, finally receivng his wings in 2009. Sadly, Soon after Stewarts graduation, the economic downturn hit britain hard, and his squadron was disbanded in favor of keeping the more veteran ones active. Furious but having no other choice, Stewart spent a small amount of time flying air taxi’s in norway, until his father was able to get him a contract with one of his former air force buddies, who had now gone on to become a higher up in a PMC that did some contracting work with the Australian Government. The majority of Stewarts pilot career has been acting as a proxy force against the Indonesian Government, engaging several PMCs working for indonesia during its attempted expansion into Papua New Guinia and Malaysia. Despite this, Stewart has seen very little true fighter combat and is still considered somewhat of a rookie among the majority of more expierenced fighters who populate the majority of the worlds PMCs. Light hearted but dedicated to the job, Stewarts main motovation to fly has been from the family line of pilots ever since the beginning of the royal air corps. This has lead to Connolly’s flight history not being very extensive or impressive but slightly depressing considering his talent. After spending 5 years training in the British forces, shortly after he graduated with his rank and role, he was dismissed as budget cut backs were made, with his entire squadron being gutted. After that, he got a job working an with an air transport service in norway working with a small float plane in the northern Fjords. After begrudgingly working in that for a few years, his father was able to get him a position in a PMC squadron that was managed by an old friend from the forces, operating out of the Philippines. His operations with the company would only last two months, during which time he spent most of his flight time conducting CAP, SAD and CAS missions, rarely ever coming into contact with hostile forces. It was during this time he met Nathan Webber, who he was assigned to as a wingman. Their last mission together took place over Burma where they were to escort two F-111s to strike at an airbase. The mission was a complete disaster. The flight was met by a total of 3 other squadrons of fighters and substantial SAM positions. Connolly was able to get two kills before before he had his right wing blown off by a cannon burst. It wasn’t long before Webber too was shot down as well as the two F-111s, with Webber and Connolly being the only ones to survive. The two of them spent 3 weeks in the Burmese jungle before before they made it to the coast and were rescued by a ship belonging to the company they were serving with. Sadly, due to the extensive losses the company had taken, it couldn’t afford to put Connolly, or Webber back into the Cockpit, and thus the two men were looking for work again ''kills'' 1x F-105 Mission Kill (Kermit/Bowman/Bonnie) Half-Kill each 1x SA-8 launcher Missions Flown Red Hawk Rough Fist Esteban "Buns" LaCroix - Air Superiority photo Current A/C ''- ''Chengdu F-7 Record of vital birth: Baton Rogue General Hospital, January 20, 1979 Current Age: 36 Nationality: American Backround items of note: Attended Williamson Sr. High, Final gradepoint average 1.34, June 1997 Entrance solicited and denied to USAF, February 1999 Private Pilot Licence obtained June 2000 Entrance solicited and denied to USAF, November 2001 IRS Audit for discrepancies in financial statements, December 2001 Private Pilot Licence suspended January 2002 following fatal crash in Idaho. Attended Lansing CC, Aviation Maintenance, final gradepoint 3.67, December 2005 Private Pilot Licence renewed June 2005 Entrance solicited and denied to USAF, July 2005. Recruiting officer assaulted, Esteban released from hospital several days later, no formal charges pressed. Passport stamped to Mexico, November 2005 Return passport to US stamped June 2010 Employed with a regional airline with a spotless attendance and work history, based out of Anchorage. Relocated to Djibouti looking for posting with a combat maintenance group, was recruited by Showtime and subsequently added to Swart Katte’s roster as a combat pilot ''kills'' ''Missions Flown'' Matt "Mustash" Higgins - Air Superiority photo ''Current A/C'' Born in Dunedin New Zealand on June the 15th 1970, Matt Higgins flew scooters in The Royal New Zealand Air Force’s 2nd Squadron until their disbandment in 2001. Afterwards Matt spent time in Australia as a commercial pilot working for Qantas until the global financial crisis and subsequent worldwide rise in conflict decreased international travel due fears of terrorist attacks, revolution and even outright war in many countries. With the shift in the global defence paradigm towards smaller armies, navies and air forces supplemented by mercenary outfits Matt had a new source of employment to put his skill set to use. For the past 2 years Matt has moved throughout the industry, always withdrawing from areas of conflict when things became too unstable even for his calm demeanour to handle. But the upsurge in worldwide violence is meaning Matt is having fewer and fewer low impact conflicts to participate in. After his last mission in Colombia went South, Matt once again departed for greener pastures. After a few possibilities fell through he was finally put in contact with someone supposedly reliable within the industry, Hendrick de Jager of Swart Katte. kills ''Missions Flown'' Sophie "Warfrog" Duprac - Air Superiority photo ''Current A/C - MiG-21bis'' A graduate of Royal Military College, Sophie pursued a career in aviation with the forces. A chronic underachiever, many instructors at basic flight in Portage felt that Sophie wouldn’t make the cut. Her grades were never good, and she struggled with navigation. However, in the air, her ability on the stick was very good. Deemed too much of a talent to go to waste, her instructors were told to push her, and get her through the program. In the end, she was successful both at Portage and then in Moose Jaw for advanced flight, but the extra attention led to rumours of string pulling and protection, which have continued to follow Sophie. Posted to Bagotville’s 425 Squadron, Sophie was partway through qualification on the CF-188 hornet when the next round of CF budgetary cuts came down the pipeline, leaving her, and others, without a job. Sophie’s skill set had two applications, a job hauling people in a Dash 8, or the high speed adrenaline filled world of mercenary piloting. Preferring to fly herself, rather then let an autopilot do it, the choice was obvious. Psychological Assessment: Generally quiet (unless around other Québecquois) Sophie still posses a strong temper, and can be quick to anger. Although she can clamp down her emotions, at times they can overpower both her will and better judgement. Raised by her father with her brother, Sophie claims a strong relation with both. Mother divorced father at an early age, leaving Sophie with feelings of inadequacy, guilt, and anger, manifested as noted above. Her fellow Kattes awarded her the callsign 'Warfrog' after Kermit nailed two F-14As on her frist mission. ''kills'' 2x F-14A 1x F-105 Mission Kill (Kermit/Bowman/Bonnie) Half-Kill each ''Missions Flown'' Rough Fist Former Members Patrick "Creek" Dawson - Multirole - KIA photo ''Current A/C - N/A'' Born in Perth Western Australia on October the 20th 1980, Patrick Dawson grew up in a middle class family in the suburbs. Doing well in school, Patrick always wanted to join the armed forces but had a hard time deciding what branch to serve in. While growing up he learnt the importance of surrounding himself with competent people to get things done. This realisation caused the teen to narrow his focus to either joining the Australian SAS as a trooper or RAAF as a pilot. His father pushed him to get a university degree so he had something to fall back on if his hopes of joining the military failed and 3 years later he graduated with a Bachelor in Economics and Management. His decision about which branch to join solidified after seeing an air show at Pearce Airbase. The idea of flying a multimillion dollar aircraft seemed more appealing than marching through disease infested jungles on month long patrols. After passing the required tests and completing his training within the RAAF Patrick was eventually transferred to No. 75 Squadron as a Flying Officer, operating an F/A-18A Hornet. He saw his first real action in Iraq during Operation Falconer as an escort to larger craft, later switching to an air to ground role in support of US and Australian troops. These troops included the SAS who Patrick could have been a part of if his choices had been different. As the economy collapsed Patrick could see the writing on the wall, while his background in economics didn’t let him foresee the full scope of the collapse he did have a better idea of what the coming events would be like compared to his fellow pilots. Patrick moved to secure his future as a pilot and started contacting foreign friends within the PMC industry. He was eventually put in contact with Hendrik de Jager and joined Crux Aeronautics. Previously based at Tindal, Dawson enjoyed a long but friendly rivalry with RAAF base Williamtown’s Nathan Webber. With frequent dogfighting duels between the pair ending in draws and Dawson’s deployment to Iraq vs Webber’s US trips cementing a unending series of challenges between the pair in effort to become top dog in the ranks of the RAAF. Obituary Published in The West Australian newspaper Patrick Jackson Dawson of Perth, Western Australia died Monday, May 4, 2015 in Djibouti due to a freak accident while conducting a routine flight training mission. Born in Perth, Western Australia, October 30, 1980, to Oliver and Anna Dawson, Patrick Dawson was an outstanding student who received his Bachelor of Commerce in 2000 from Curtin University. After his graduation Patrick joined the Royal Australian Air Force as a pilot, serving in Iraq as a part of Operation Falconer. After the economic crash Patrick moved to greener pastures, working across the globe while spending time with his loved ones between jobs. Known for his competitive spirit and the strong bonds of friendship he forged with all those he met, truly he will be missed. He is survived by his father Oliver, mother Anna as well as his sister Stacey, her husband Jonathan and their two children Jake and Lilly. The funeral service will be held at 2:00 pm May 8, 2015 at East Perth Cemetery. Donations can be made to The Royal Australian Air Force Association. Last Will and Testament. A few days after Creeks death a man in a slightly ragged suit enters through a side door of the Showtime owned hanger, the hot Djiboutian air blowing in with him. He approaches the remaining squadron members and invites them to sit at a nearby table. Leaning forward in the creaking chair he pulls out some documents from his briefcase and removes his fedora, placing both on the table in front of him. “My apologies for your loss, my name is Mr Bradstreet and I am handling the late Mr Dawson’s property and assets.“ He shuffles some papers around before continuing “You look like busy men so I will skip the preamble, my apologies for taking so long but I had to wait for the death certificate before I could legally begin the process of enacting Mr Dawson’s Will. Mr Dawson’s untimely demise has caused the life insurance he arranged through Showtime to be invoked, covering his funeral costs while you the beneficiaries will be receiving the rest of the lump sum shortly.“ “Mr Dawson’s private residence in Perth and the contents of his personal bank accounts have been split among his family as per his instructions. This leaves only item remaining.” He clears his throat before continuing. “Mr Dawson also stipulated that his personal possessions be distributed to his fellow pilots, whoever they were at his time of death. I believe they are still on site so you are free to take ownership of whatever he has left behind within the country.” “Again, my condolences on your loss and I bid you a pleasant day.” The visibly worn down lawyer gets up, retrieving his hat and documents, leaving copies for the squadron before turning and heading for the door. Over sound of repairs of aircraft in the background the three men sitting by the table hear the lawyer mutter something as he crosses the threshold and steps out into the sun. “A man's dying is more the survivors' affair than his own.” kills ''Missions Flown'' Red Hawk Current Equipment Type: Mirage IIIc : Upgrades: Addional Pylons, Russian AtA store capability Flown by: Nathan "Bowman" Webber Type: Saab Draken J35J Upgrades: Weight loss program Flown by: Steward "Bonnie" Connolly Type: Chengdu F-7 Upgrades: Weight loss program Flown by: Esteban "Buns" LaCroix Type: Mig-21bis Upgrades: Flown by: Sophie "Warfrog" Duprac Lost Equipment Type: Mig-21F Upgrades: Flown by: Patrick "Creek" Dawson